GODZILLA City
by Miyukizilla
Summary: An alternate universe of the Heisei era taking place within a futuristic Japan. With the newly established branch of the UNGCC, officially named G-Sector, Japan has managed to tap into a potentially limitless source of energy far more powerful and efficient than even nuclear energy. However, this new discovery may push humanity into an even darker future than ever anticipated.
1. Prologue

Nothing but silence filled the halls of the now empty office complex. On a chilly winter evening such as this, especially one with snowfall, many office workers would be lounging in the comfort of their warm homes spending time with family and preparing for the holidays. The night guards working their shifts this evening are hoping to go home as well, hopefully within an hour or so, to get some extra sleep and keep warm. One such guard was situated at his station next to the front gates, reading the newspaper trying to stay warm in his thick winter coat. He would periodically check his wrist watch to see if it's time for him to head home. This in turn made the hour he had remaining feel like an eternity, especially when he has to sit in a tiny booth on such a freezing night.

"Only 11:23? Can't time move any damn faster? I gotta get home and get some shut eye." the night guard muttered to himself. He continued reading through an article about this year's best Christmas tree illumination arts and skimmed through a survey on the hottest new Christmas gifts this year. The night guard picked up a black sharpie from his desk and circled an image of a stuffed Hello Kitty toy wearing a winter dress. "I bet she'll love this." he said to himself, smiling at the thought of her daughter's joyous reactions when she wakes up to her new Hello Kitty toy. He continued reading onto the last page and picked up a second paper from KYODO NEWS. Right off the bat, the article on the front page caught his attention. _UNGCC and Newly Established G-Force Discusses "Operation: New Years"_ the headline read. A large image of Chairman Katashi Okada of G-Force in a board meeting with the staff for "Operation: New Years" is plastered beneath the bold black headline. Curious, the night guard read on through the article to see what Chairman Okada had to say about the operation. "I've heard mentions here and there from my buds about this so called 'Operation: New Years.' I wonder what's all the fuss about it? I swear if it's just some big New Years party-" the night guard said, before he stumbled upon a particular sentence that made him even more curious. _Chairman Katashi Okada commented that Operation: New Years was "guaranteed to change the world we live in forever," and that the UNGCC and G-Force will not rest until they ensure the operation will be a success._ "Guaranteed to change the world forever huh? Yeah, alright then. Start with lowering income taxes then." he commented in a mocking manner. The night guard checked his wrist watch once more before reading on further. He sighed as he saw the watch read 11:31. At least his shift was half way done. He spun around a little in the chair he was sat in, or at least spun as much as he could within the cramped booth he was in, to pass the time. As he turned towards the office building, he noticed that all but one room was pitch black. Light still shone through the windows of a room on the fifth floor, and he thought he could make out the figure of someone leaning against the window. "What the hell? I thought everyone drove back home by this time. Who could possibly still be here at this time?" he asked himself. A security vehicle drove from around the left side of the office building to the front for a late night inspection around the area. The vehicle proceeded towards the front gates and stopped just short for the guard to exit his vehicle.

"How's patrolling?" he asked.

"Ah nothing special really. No signs of giant radioactive lizards around here, so that's always good."

"Very funny, wise guy."

"Oh lighten up. You take things way too seriously." the guard said, "Anything happen with you?"

"Does it _look_ like anything interesting has been happening here?" he asked tiredly.

"Haha, yeah well, you just got half an hour or so left on the shift. So don't feel so glum pal."

"Yeah yeah. Hey, do you know who's still up on the fifth floor?" he asked, pointing to the lit room. The second guard looked up to where he was pointing.

"Huh? Oh yeah, a researcher approached me earlier this evening and told me that they'd be staying here kinda late. Don't know why though." he explained.

"I see. Well whatever they're doing they better get leaving soon. I'd rather leave my shift early tonight."

"Come to think of it too… another guy came through the back entrance not too long ago. I think he said he's with the guy up there."

"Oh yeah? Geez, these damn eggheads never rest don't they?"

Within the dark halls of the building on the fifth floor, light shone brightly through the glass walls of the boardroom at the end of the hall. Papers and files were scattered all across the table, and the whiteboard on the far left wall from the door was covered in scribbles, equations, diagrams, and various other statistics. Crudely drawn marks making "X" shapes and overlapping arrows plagued almost the entirety of the information written down except for a select few that seemed to be connected to each other. Leaning against the cold snow littered window was a tired middle aged man anxiously tapping his pen in hand against the wall. His sleeves were rolled up despite the cold temperatures and his white buttoned shirt was completely undone. In fact, the man broke into an intense nervous sweat. He reached for his white mug on the desk to take a drink of his warm hot coffee. Reaching for his mug, he took notice to the dark coffee stains that have soiled the papers under the mug. He rushed over to the table in a panic to pick up his mug, only to find that the papers beneath the mug had stuck to the bottom for a brief moment before slowly detaching and falling onto the table. The stain on the document was of a deep black within the center, skewering a few sentences from being read properly. In a tired fit of rage, the man put his palm over his face and shook his head in frustration, ready to curse out loud to the ceiling. He then proceeded to knock over some papers onto the dark blue carpeted floor. As the papers scattered all over the floor, the glass door slightly pushed open, followed by footsteps entering the room and stomping over one of the papers. A hand reached for the now wrinkled paper and was slowly picked up and analyzed.

"Up so late, Dr. Yamane?" the man asked holding the document up to his face for better viewing. The frustrated man let out an irritated sigh and fell back on a wheeled office chair.

"What are you doing here, Serizawa? Shouldn't you be back at home or something?" Yamane asked.

"Well, I would have nothing much to do other than go home wasted. But how would I be able to help you finish finalizing these statistics if I were piss drunk eh?"

"Go home Serizawa. You already did your part in the project, now it's my turn." he said standing back up from his chair and desperately taking another sip of his coffee, "I-I just need to make sure everything is correct. I've kept warning the team of the potential risk we're running with this operation, b-but did anyone listen? Of course not! Everyone just looked at me and said, 'You worry too much Yamane, just take it easy.' Well I know damn well of the catastrophes that could arise from this!" Dr. Yamane continued rambling while walking through the glass room, picking up random papers and giving them quick looks before throwing them onto the table once more in an irritated manner. Dr. Serizawa simply watched as the coffee drunken man circled the table and angrily yelled out to the ceilings as if there were anyone listening to him on the snow covered roof. "You know what pisses me off the most about this?" he asked.

"What would that be Yamane?"

"It's the fact that no matter how many times I look at these statistics, no matter how many times I rewrite them or redo the equations or double check the diagrams and numbers, they all seem so perfect! Yet, they seem so _imperfect_!" Yamane exclaimed while running his hands through his hair frantically, dropping his coffee onto the table in the process which spilled any remaining coffee within the mug. Yamane scrambled to get the remaining dry papers away from the splashed area as to not lose anymore precious information. Fatigue was clearly getting the best of the doctor, despite all the coffee he drank, which actually made his current condition far worse. All the documents he rushed to retrieve are now being held tightly in a messy bunch within his jittery arms. Yamane continued to ramble, "Anything can happen Serizawa! ANYTHING! These people can't just stand idly by and hope for this to work when there are clear risks! Even the slightest, _slightest_ calculation can-!" Serizawa cut his rambling short before his behavior became too unstable. He put his hand on his shoulder firmly as to get his attention and signaled him to calm down.

"Dr. Yamane please. You need rest. And if you're not going to rest, then you need someone to help you with these." he explained calmly, "If I help you double check whatever erm… data you have left, would that help you feel better? It may not look good to _you_ , but perhaps if you got a second opinion on your analysis, would that ease your tension?" Dr. Yamane stared at the floor for a brief moment, whole body jittering from the caffeine in his system. Eventually, he dropped his documents onto the opposite side of the table and rubbed his face with both hands. The dark rings around his eyes grew more apparent as he stared up at the headlights just above them. Nevertheless, Dr. Yamane took a deep breath and let out a deep sigh, finally calming down and thinking slightly straight. He looked over to Serizawa slightly and nodded, feeling embarrassed now that he acted in such a way in front of him.

"A-apologies, Serizawa… please excuse my… rash behavior. It's just… what if this doesn't work…? What will happen then? Would we even stand a chance? Do we even have a plan B?" he asked, looking at Serizawa with concerned eyes.

"I understand where you're coming from, don't worry. I thought that after all our time researching together you'd know this by now." he said trying to lighten up his mood even slightly, "You're right when you say anything can happen Yamane. And to tell you the truth… I'm not sure what we'll do if this plan backfires." Serizawa walked over to the window with Yamane by his side, and the two watched as tiny snowflakes lightly fell from the clear night sky above, slowly stacking up onto the powdered white surface down below on the streets and parking lot. Tokyo Tower could be seen in the distance, shining brightly amongst the millions of tiny lights within the city and illuminating the sky above proudly. "But we are humans. And although we are not perfect, we are willing to take risks in life, no matter how big those risks may be." Serizawa explained, "We couldn't have made the world such a beautiful place for us humans to live in without taking such leaps of faith. This is no different Yamane, I hope you understand that." Dr. Yamane continued to gaze into the distance of Tokyo while listening to Serizawa's words. Suddenly, it's as if whatever parts of his brain that were not clouded up by pure anxiousness and exhaustion had managed to clear the way for the rest of his brain to think properly. He could finally rationalize the source of all his worries, and with that knowledge in mind, he looked to Dr. Serizawa and turned back around to his documents on the table behind them.

"Thank you for clearing that up with me, Serizawa." Yamane said with utmost content, "Now please, do me a favor and see if these look correct to you." A small smile cracked on Dr. Serizawa's face as he was relieved his friend finally became level headed. He nodded and looked over the papers Yamane handed to him.

* * *

The clock read 2:54 AM. The office had finally been deserted and everyone, including Dr. Yamane and Dr. Serizawa, had returned to the comfort of their homes. Dr. Serizawa, although far past his normal bedtime, felt much sharper after deep analysis of all the papers Dr. Yamane had handed him at the office. He stood facing the uncovered balcony window and continually stared at Tokyo Tower within the distance. Although the snowfall had slightly thickened, the lustrous glow of the tower shone through, brightening up the entire city. He took a sip of black tea from his mug to warm himself up. A young couple with a child, presumably returning home from a celebration of sorts, walked close together as to keep warm from the snowfall. Thoughts about the fortunate families out there in the world being together and celebrating the holidays together struck his mind, which filled him with a warm sense of relief and comfort. These thoughts however were unfortunately plagued by hidden bitterness and sorrow. He took another sip of his black tea and noticed the words that were being covered by both of his hands. Uncovering the text revealed it to say, _World's Best Dad!_ Once more, a thought filled with strong bitter sweetness flowed through his mind. Bitterness he thought he was so accustomed to filled his mouth moments after his sip of tea, filling him with displeasure. He placed the mug down onto his coffee table behind him and walked over to a bookshelf to the left of him against the wall. The bright light of Tokyo Tower was more than enough to illuminate portions of his living room.

"The world has been through far too much as of recently." Serizawa remarked to himself, "We all may be celebrating the holidays and spending time with family, but deep within all of our hearts, fear still resides strongly." Serizawa reached for the top of the shelf and pulled down a picture frame. Using the light emitted from the tower, he gazed down at the photo within the frame now lit up. It contained his family photo from seven years ago. His hand grazed against the surface of the chilly glass across the entirety of the photo. "You've always tried to play it safe. Safety does not always wield the best results. You must learn to take risks in your life. Only then will fruitful discoveries be made." he muttered to himself, "I'm afraid I will have to go down a different road, father. Please rest easy." He places back the photo atop the bookshelf, takes one last sip of his bitter tea, and heads into his bedroom to call it a night.

And thus, a new game has begun.

* * *

 **A/N**

 **I hope you enjoyed the prologue to my very first Godzilla fanfiction, GODZILLA City! GODZILLA City's concept was heavily inspired by Shin Gojira, specifically the ending to the movie which had numerous fans theory crafting and such. This story also is considered technically an alternate universe of the Heisei series of Godzilla films, however elements from all three major eras of films are used within this story (mainly the Showa era). Of course, all monsters and characters from the films do not belong to me, and are rightfully owned by Toho Co., Ltd. All original characters I invented for the story, however, do belong to me. In terms of scheduling for this story, I plan to possibly post a chapter every month. However, posting schedule is destined to change at certain points, for some chapters may take longer to write, along with the occasional writer's block and everyday life to go through. I thank you for your understanding, and I absolutely cannot wait to post more of this story to the Godzilla community!**

 **P.S.: Chapter 1 is already currently in the making and nearly halfway done! Ideas for chapter 2 and onward are currently under development as well. I have so many ideas for the future of this story, so be prepared!**


	2. Chapter 1

"Hello? Hey, are you alright?" The young woman's attention quickly shifted as she heard the concerned tone of the driver and saw him waving in front of her face a little, "Sorry if I startled you, I got a little concerned. You were staring blankly into that book of yours again." Her cheeks turned a little rosy, and she rubbed the back of her head and looked down at her book in embarrassment. She was unaware of how long she had been gazing upon that one page. It wouldn't be the first time she dozed off in such a fashion though. She waved her hands a little in front of her and tried to assure him that she was okay. "Ahh, don't be so flustered. I know how invested you can get into your reading sis." the young man added, "Especially uh… _that_ book in particular." The woman nodded slightly, slowly looking back down at the book's open page. Before reading on any further, she closed the book and grazed her hand over the worn out cover page. A loud honk from the car in front of them bursted out. The young woman jumped from her seat as much as the seatbelt could permit her, and she gripped her book tightly in front of her chest. The driver was taken off guard by his sister's sudden action and looked towards her with a surprised expression. Papers flew all over the car from the folder she had laid on her lap, disorienting her brother. More car horns followed through after the initial horn, some sounding further away than others. It only occurred to her then that the two of them were stuck in traffic. "God I hate traffic on a Monday…" the brother remarked, followed up by a frustrated sigh and leaning his head against the wheel, "At this rate, we're both going to be late. I knew I should have taken the local route." He looked towards her sister, who still had a startled expression all over her face. The sight of this caused him to giggle a little, soon bursting out into laughter. "That's quite the expression you got on your face there sis!" he jokingly remarked. The young woman looked towards him, and although initially embarrassed, she ended up smiling along with his laughter. She lightly shoved his arm in response and began picking up all of her papers from around the car. He began to slowly calm down from his laughter and helped her reorganize her papers back into her files as well.

Just as they finished reorganizing all her papers, cars finally began to move forward, albeit at slower speeds. "Thank goodness, I thought we'd be stuck here all morning." he said, stepping on the gas slightly. The young woman grasped her papers and book closely to her chest and looked out the window. Beyond all the colorful country-like houses jumbled together, the taller apartment and office buildings littered here and there, and the numerous small markets of the Yamashina Ward, she saw their destination stick out in the distance: G-Sector. It wouldn't be the first time that she's been there before, but the sight of the grey metallic towers built along the inner rims of the single circular building, enclosing a singular cylindrical reinforced structure within the center of the whole complex, situated near the mountains was just as jaw dropping than the first time. It's honestly near impossible to not take notice to such a monument even from great distances, especially such an enormous structure neighboring what could be considered miniature houses and stores of Kyoto. Although much more confident this time around, she still felt the same nervous rush in her heart as she felt the first time she arrived in G-Sector. Her brother took notice to this, and asked, "Still feeling nervous about the interview?" She looked towards him and shook her head, but she knew that he could see through her clearly. She sighed, and nodded reluctantly, gripping her book and files even tighter than before. "C'mon, don't worry so much about it. I'm sure you'll be fine." he said to ease her tension, "You're a really smart woman, the type of person that G-Sector really needs nowadays! Especially with Blue Waters." She smiled slightly and appreciated his comfort, but she still couldn't help but feel slight tension within her chest about her interview. _What if they turn me down like last time? I can't help that I'm like this._ "You got this sis, I believe in you." he added, giving her an encouraging light hearted smile for a moment before returning to watching the road ahead of him. _Ahah… thank you for your encouraging words, Astsushi_. "Also, I uh, managed to catch the head of operations there and have a word with him. You remember Dr. Okada, right?" he explained, "Well, I told him a lot of things about you and well, personally he would love to have you on the team." She perked up with surprise and looked to him with excited eyes. "Because of that, I can tell you without a doubt that he would discuss this with the chairman of G-Sector. I'm pretty sure you can guess what happens next." he finished with a confident smile. Whatever nervous feelings remained within her heart at the time were then overwhelmed with an excited feeling. With this knowledge in mind, she had a much better feeling about her interview. Atsushi sighed softly with relief, reassured that his sister was granted the confidence boost she most desperately needed. _Thank you so much!_

The two siblings finally exited the busy highway and onto the much more calmer roads near Kamigyo Ward. However, their destination was not through Kamigyo Ward, but through Shishigatani Tokuzendanicho into the mountains. Nearing closer to the mountainous areas around Daimonjiyama, she had a clear view of the gigantic structure just ahead of them. Upon further inspection into the colossal establishment, she noticed something that seemed quite odd. Whether it were there while they were still on the highway or it just appeared then was unknown to her. It was difficult to see through the intense glare of the sun, but she thought she could see something along the lines of smoke spewing out from behind the cylindrical structure. She did not think much of it at first, until the glare of the sun had been blocked by the buildings. It then revealed that much more smoke had began spewing from the behind. Her curiosity peaked at that point, and she looked to Atsushi to ask if he knew what was going on.

"Dammit... what happened this time?" he muttered to himself as he took notice to the spewing black smoke emitting from now all around the structure. Atsushi began to drive at a faster pace towards Shishigatani Tokuzendanicho. _What's going on up there? Is everything okay?_ He turns to her briefly and shifts his attention back to the road. "Don't worry about it sis… this tends to happen once in a while, but it's nothing major. Probably a minor technical difficulty." From the looks of it, and considering the concerned look on his face, it may be more than _just_ a "minor technical difficulty." But nonetheless, she kept a cool demeanor and dared not to drag on the subject. She had hope that her brother knew what was going on. She was admittedly shaken up though at the sudden sound of what seemed like sirens emitting from the towers surrounding the structure. It almost felt like a natural disaster could strike the area at any moment. She took a deep breath in, and a deep breath out, attempting to reassure herself. _Atsushi has been working here for almost 8 years now. I worry too much, surely he knows what he's talking about. If there were something actually wrong, he would most definitely tell me._ Despite keeping her faith in her brother's knowledge, she still had an aching feeling that something was going on up there. Something very dangerous.

It was around 9:56 AM, almost an hour had passed since they left their house at 9 AM. Traffic was much worse on the highway than first anticipated, but regardless they're nearing their destination, with four minutes remaining. Her brother always despised being even a minute late to work. But this time, she felt that it was certainly more than just being late to work that was keeping Atsushi on edge. The siblings were just about to enter Shishigatani Tokuzendanicho, with G-Sector casting a giant shadow over them. Speaking of which, the concerning amount of smoke seen spewing out from the structure earlier had dramatically decreased, and was reduced to simply a small streak of black smoke equivalent to that emitted from an ordinary chimney; the sirens had stopped as well, thankfully. Atsushi, although appearing a lot more relieved than he was just moments ago, still seemed anxious and desperate to arrive at G-Sector immediately. With no deafening sirens going off, the young woman rolled down her window as they entered Shishigatani Tokuzendanicho. Feeling the sun's rays shine down through their window while having her long dark brown hair flow with the gentle summer breeze was a much needed break from the nervousness she had been feeling through most of the ride. Coupled with the sounds of birds chirping, cicadas rattling, and a few townsfolk walking around the area, she felt as if her mind was cleared up from all the clutter that had been distracting her, and could feel tranquility being sprinkled over her as they passed by each small house through the community. Living so close to nature like this was always a delightful dream kept in the back of her head that she wished to experience one day. If only Atsushi and her had enough time to walk around the area and get some exercise in, just like when they were in middle school.

Unfortunately, her pleasant trip through nature came to a halt, quite literally, when the two faced a security gate not too far away from the small community behind them. Atsushi slowly drove closer to the gate and faced the security guard to his left stationed in his booth. He rolled down his window and the security guard asked for his ID.

"Yes, of course." he said, pulling out his G-Sector ID card from his wallet, handing it to the security guard.

"Good morning, Doctor Yamane. You were almost late to work today, something happen?" the guard asked in a joking fashion.

"If unexpected traffic counts as something happening, then yes."

"It happens to the best of us doctor, don't be so tense."

"Yeah well, I'm more tense about what the smoke and sirens were all about."

"Oh that? Ah don't worry about it, you know how those eggheads up there are like. They probably got carried away with some operation again."

"I hope you're right on that. I've had more than enough reason to be worried about even the smallest of incidents around here now." Atsushi added in a slightly concerned tone. The officer ducked down a little to catch the young lady in the passenger seat next to him.

"I see you've brought a guest with you today."

"Ah yes, this is my sister, Miyuki Yamane, soon-to-be bioengineer of G-Sector's Blue Waters operation." he explained, looking to her with a smile, "She has an important interview with the head chairman today. After today, expect to see her coming through these gates more often!" Miyuki felt a bit flustered, hearing the confidence in Atsushi's voice as he said that. It's heartwarming and reassuring to know that he has so much confidence in her, but she's never been a fan of when people bolster about her in such a public fashion. She simply smiled at the guard trying to hide her now rosy cheeks, and waved to him shyly. The guard smiled back to her and tipped his hat forward a bit.

"In that case, I hope to see you around, Ms. Yamane." the guard said raising the gates for the both of them, "Ah shoot, sorry for holding you two up. You guys better get going now, it's 9:58." Atsushi's eyes widened and he quickly looked down at his wrist watch. He quickly told the guard "good day," stepped on the gas immediately, and drove up the mountain road at great speeds. Not having enough time to close her window, Miyuki held her files with a fierce grip to ensure that they do not fly out the window.

"Apologies Miyuki! But I cannot afford to be even a second late!" he exclaimed. _On the bright side, at least it seems like he's pushed aside his worries about the smoke and sirens._ After an exhilarating and terrifying trip uphill, they finally arrived through the front gates leading to G-Sector. Atsushi took a sharp left past a large fountain situated in the middle between the entrance and gate, turning into a large parking lot and past a security vehicle about to take a left before halting immediately as to not crash into them. Other workers and scientists just arriving to work and walking across the parking lot steered clear from the road as they saw a white Honda Civic speeding through the parking lot in desperation to find a parking spot. Miyuki clutched the bottom of her seat and shut her eyes closed, only listening to the sound of the wheels streaking across the sun heated asphalt and of panicked and confused workers yelling at them to slow down. Just as Atsushi was about to go searching through another lot, he took notice to one more empty spot about to be taken. Without hesitation, Atsushi steps on the pedal and forces his steering wheel to rotate as far as it could to the left as possible, granting his car enough maneuverability to slip past the other vehicle and into the last parking space. The driver came to an immediate halt before crashing into Atsushi and Miyuki, prompting them to angrily blow their horns at the two of them.

"Come on Miyuki, we have to hurry! It's 10:00 exactly, I'm about to be late!" Atsushi urged, scrambling to get his seatbelt to release while unlocking both their doors. Miyuki, on the other hand, was far too petrified from the brief, yet extreme ride to work she had just experienced. From those two minutes they drove uphill, Atsushi nearly drifted off the sides of the road down the mountain, almost crashed into several workers, and was an inch close to making impact with another vehicle. Frankly, she was quite content with staying put in her seat and clenching her belongings like a teddy bear for a while. However, Atsushi's constant urging finally got her attention, and she snapped out of her terrified trance. In a panic, Atsushi exited the car before she could, and began running towards the front entrance. Miyuki quickly unbuckled her seatbelt, grabbed all of her belongings, and exited the vehicle to try and catch up with her brother, who was already far ahead of her. "Please lock up the car for me Miyuki! I'll see you during lunch today!" he yelled out to her as he was nearly at the front doors. Although lucky so far, Atsushi's luck would soon run out, as the security guard from just moments ago sounded their sirens atop their vehicle and parked their car near the front entrance. The security guard quickly exited his vehicle and pursued her brother, blowing his whistle at him to get his attention. Miyuki sighed at the scene, and followed it up with a slight tummy chuckle, as she found some comedic value in seeing her brother being pursued by security just because he didn't want to be late to work. _Oh Atsushi, sometimes you get yourself into the most oddest of situations._

With Atsushi out of the picture and no longer rushing her, Miyuki took her time to walk to the front doors of the wide circular building enclosing the colossal cylindrical structure. The many windows plastered across the sides of each floor of the building revealed many workers of different fields walking through the hallways past numerous lobbies and lounging areas. Some appeared to be interacting with co-workers, others were occupied viewing their electronic devices, and some seemed to be in a rush to get to their respective workstations presumably. Miyuki hoped to join the workforce here as soon as possible. As she approached near the entrance, she took a look at the fountain Atsushi drove past before in a hurry. _Strange, I don't remember there being a fountain here before. Was this installed just recently?_ Whether it was here before or not, she still thought it was quite a fabulously constructed fountain. The fountain was a large circular shape, with three water sprayers shooting water into a raised brass platform in the center, cleverly representing the outer building she was about to enter; engravings etched into the outer sides of the fountain even represent miniature windows. The platform held a six foot tall replica of the cylindrical structure found in the center of the whole complex made of brass. Situated next to the statue was a second statue of Prime Minister Hayato Igarashi, Japan's longest running prime minister, being in office for 14 years and onward. Igarashi became known for taking more risks in his later years in office, funding the UNGCC in what could be considered controversial projects, such as the more recent Mecha Revival project. However, none can deny that it was because of Igarashi's pashion to create a brighter future for both Japan and the world that the JSDF and various branches of the UNGCC, including G-Sector and G-force, still receive ample amounts of funding yearly by the government. Upon further inspection of the statue however, Miyuki spotted something on the opposite side. A long bronze tail covered in small spines of sorts wrapped across the back of the structure. Suddenly, an overwhelming sense of dread began to well up in her heart as she reluctantly circled around to the back of the statue, her eyes fixated on the statue at all times. She was greeted with a bipedal standing scaly animal, with its back covered in not spines, but rows of dorsal plates. Her eyes slowly followed the ascending plates as they continued to increase in size, until they began shrinking once more nearing the top of a familiar shaped reptilian head. The head was slightly tilted to the right with an opened jaw revealing two rows of jagged fangs, as if the statue were roaring viciously into the distance. She felt her legs tremble slightly, her lips quiver, and her grip on her belongings begin to loosen. Eventually her grip loosened enough for her book to slip out of her hands and land flat on the ground. Her eyes refused to look away from the brass statue for even a second, analyzing each intricate detail to ensure what she was looking at was truly what she believed it was. All the surrounding noises were soon cancelled out and replaced with a horrific cacophony of explosions and screams playing in her head unwillingly. She thought she could also hear a faint, distorted roar amongst all the chaos in her mind. A roar that would haunt her even after the day of her death, and sent an immense chill straight down her spine.

Suddenly, a loud sequence of familiar noises began filling her ears, cancelling the trance she was experiencing. Miyuki looked to her left side in confusion to be greeted with a heavily armored military humvee honking at her to step aside. Embarrassed, she quickly picked up her dropped book and rushed over to the sidewalk, allowing the humvee to pass through. She looked all around her as to make sure no one noticed her staring blankly at the statue. Thankfully it seemed like no one paid much attention to her. She closed her eyes for a moment and covered her forehead with her right hand, feeling exhausted all of a sudden. The sounds of the faint roar still silently echoed in the back of her head until it slowly diminished and disappeared back into the recesses of her mind. Miyuki tried her best to shake off what she had just experienced, and continued on through the front doors. She took one last glance behind her at the brass statue, which was now a few feet behind her, before entering through the doors, refusing to look back.

As soon as she took one step inside, she was greeted coincidentally by an intercom message broadcasted throughout the building, " _Good morning, and welcome to G-Sector. Remember to work hard and have a great day!"_ Even being greeted by a generic pre-recorded audio message was enough to ease the tension she experienced mere moments ago. _It's nice to see that nothing much has changed._ Not only was G-Sector top notch with their science and engineering departments, but their interior design was spot on. Immediately through the front doors, visitors are greeted with a large open modern style lobby. The floor was made of white marble tiles, as well as the walls, and numerous rows of pillars holding up the second floor across the entirety of the circular building. The receptionists were stationed straight ahead, sitting behind cedar colored wood desks with double glass tops and smooth silver linings. Behind the receptionist desks were three large flags bearing the official symbols for the UNGCC in the center, G-Force to the left, and G-Sector to the right. Two sets of stairs were placed on each side of the receptionist desk leading up to the second floor, holding small lounge areas where a few workers are relaxing and reading their newspapers.

Miyuki attempted to maneuver her way through the constant barrage of busy scientists and researchers rushing to reach their designated areas. Although feeling a little nervous from the sheer number of employees, she was filled with a sense of liveliness as well. The last time she visited G-Sector, it was on a weekend, with very few people arriving to work, as one should expect; there were a few researchers scattered about the facility, which was comparable to a few ants walking around the kitchen floor. The place at the time gave off a much more desolate and isolated atmosphere, and the sounds of echoing footsteps every so often reinforced this feeling. Compared to now however, this busy Monday morning gave her hope that she would likely enjoy her time working in such an enormous establishment. It's not that she enjoys being bombarded by accidental bumpings from fellow co-workers when rushing to work, but it gave her a sense of how large and diverse the workforce within G-Sector really was. To say the least, it made Miyuki excited to see different types of people in different studies.

"E-excuse me ma'am!" someone behind her said aloud. Miyuki found herself being too caught up in the moment once more, and accidentally backed up into a scientist holding a hot cup of coffee. She froze up and looked down as she saw a stream of black coffee splash down onto the scientist's shoes and a part of his pants. Miyuki quickly turned around to face the shocked expression on the scientist's face and began to wave her hands frantically to him with shrugged shoulders and a look of dismay. _Oh my gosh, I'm so so sorry!_ "My shoes! What have you done?! I just got them polished too!" the scientist exclaimed in frustration, looking down on Miyuki. Desperate to alleviate the damage, she quickly pulled out her wallet from her small blue leather purse and handed the scientist ten dollars. _H-here you go! I'm so sorry again for the coffee, please don't hesitate to buy yourself a new one on the way!_ The scientist's tone shifted from frustrated to confused and embarrassed, "W-what? What the hell are you giving me money for-" Miyuki insisted on giving him the ten dollars for a new coffee, for she felt guilty for not paying attention to where she was going. She continued to push the ten dollar bill toward his face, but the scientist continued to politely refuse her offer while looking around to ensure that no one was getting the wrong idea; at least, as politely as a person would be when they're ten minutes late to a meeting. "Please keep the money ma'am, I really don't need it!" he said pushing her hand away from him, "I just need to get to my meeting, I'm already late enough as it is!" The scientist ran towards the set of stairs on the left, shaking off the excess coffee from his shoes and pants on the way. Miyuki put her ten dollar bill back into her wallet with a feeling of guilt. Even if it was an accident, she had hoped to make up for her mistake. She didn't have much time to ponder on this thought however, when a suited man occupied with reading an article on his phone bumped into her by accident, catching her off guard and causing her to drop her wallet on the ground.

"I'm so sorry ma'am!" the man apologized nervously. _It's okay sir, don't worry!_ The man picked up her wallet and handed it to her quickly before continuing on reading the article on his phone. Miyuki quickly put her wallet back into her purse before she ends up dropping it again. Suddenly, she was surrounded by a group of co-workers, construction workers they looked like, attempting to walk past her.

"Excuse me!"

"Pardon me miss!"

"Excuse me, coming through ma'am!"

"Watch where yer standin' lady!"

"'Scuse me, sorry!"

Miyuki squeezed her way through the large crowd of workers and quickly walked next to the set of stairs to her left. She took another gander around the area, and it seemed like even more people had been crowding the place than before. _Oh my… is this what EVERY monday is like?_ She sighed, leaning a little onto the glass railings of the stairs next to her. _Well, this is what my mornings will be like. I really hope it's not this bad every day…_ One of the receptionists took notice to her drained appearance, and asked her if she needed assistance with anything.

"Is everything okay miss?" the receptionist asked. Miyuki shook her head slightly and smiled to her, holding up her two hands. _N-no thank you ma'am, thank you for the consideration. I just need to catch my breath is all._ "If you need any help, feel free to approach us at any time." she said before a man approached her with a question. Miyuki took a quick look at her phone screen to tell the time. It was 10:18 AM, and the amount of people rushing across the lobby had began to significantly decrease. She thought now would be a good time to head up to the chairman's office. Thankfully, her interview was scheduled for 10:30, so there was no need to rush to his office. His office was a somewhat considerable distance away from the lobby though if she remembered correctly, so she still couldn't completely take her leisurely time to stroll over there. As the amount of traveling workers grew thin, she walked over to the stairs and began making her way upwards. While she walked up the flight of stairs, she thought she could hear a multitude of voices behind the front door. She turned to see a large crowd of people walking through the doors lead by none other than the chairman of G-Sector himself. Judging by the flashing cameras and various people who bombarded him with notepads and microphones, they were all trying to get an interview with the man.

"Chairman Aso! Can you please give a brief rundown on the progress of the Blue Waters project sir!"

"Over here Mr. Aso! What future plans do you have for G-Sector after your current projects have been finished?"

"Mr. Chairman sir! You stated at last week's interview that you are already arranging plans for G-Sector's 30th Anniversary two years from now! Please elaborate!" A group of three black suited bodyguards attempted to control the crowd from getting too close to the chairman. Chairman Aso gave brief yet very general answers to the interviewers' questions, clearly feeling irritated and uncomfortable from the numerous mics they are shoving in his face, as well as the many arms reaching out for him through the bodyguards in hopes of getting his attention. The room was filled with the voices of crazed reporters almost yelling out questions and requests along with the constant flash of their cameras. Miyuki couldn't help but release a small tummy chuckle from spectating how occupied the chairman was. Chairman Aso took notice to her watching him on the stairway chuckling, and the two were locked into eye contact for a brief moment.

"Okay that's enough for today. Please get them out of here." he requested. The guards all agreed and proceeded to order the interviewers to leave the vicinity immediately. A wave of complaints exited the interviewers' mouths, but the guards continued to push them back through the front doors until they finally decided to leave. Meanwhile, Chairman Aso approached Miyuki up the stairs with an expression of confusion. "Good morning, Miyuki Yamane." Aso said followed by a slight chuckle, "While it is a pleasure to see you today, I have to ask as to why you're here exactly. Did Atsushi forget something again?" _I have an interview with you today! 10:30 AM, right?_ "What? Oh goodness, I didn't prepare for this… hold on a moment." Aso said, much to his chagrin. He pulled out his phone from his pocket and made a quick phone call to someone. "Hello? Yoshiaki? I need you right now, where are you?" he asked urgently. A voice muttered through the phone's speakers that was a little too low for Miyuki to hear. "What's that? You're pulling up now? Well then hurry your ass up in here! I need your assistance ASAP!" Aso exclaimed. He hung up the phone before the person on the other side could say anymore and placed his phone back in his pocket muttering seemingly angry words to himself. Chairman Aso turned to Miyuki, almost forgetting that she was next to him, and cleared out his throat nervously. "Apologies, please excuse my language. Interviewers… they really get on my nerves." he said in a tense tone, straightening out his velvet red tie and adjusting his glasses slightly. Miyuki held her hand up once more in front of her and gave him a patient but slightly nervous smile. Suddenly, a young man rushed through the front doors and looked around frantically until he spotted the two standing on the stairway.

"Mr. Chairman sir! You called for my assistance?" he asked eagerly, trying to catch his breath.

"Yes. Just mere seconds ago. Now get up here, your skills are required!"

"Yes Mr. Chairman sir!"

"What did I say about calling me that? Refer to me properly as _Mr. Aso._ "

"Ah r-right, sorry Mr. Chairman- I mean Mr. Aso!" The young man rushed up the stairs and stood a step behind the chairman next to his right side. _Ah, is he your new translator, Mr. Aso?_

"Miyuki, we've went over this before. You know I have no clue what you're saying to me. Please direct your statements to my new translator, Yoshiaki Mori, and he'll do his best to translate to me." _W-well, I guess that answers my question…_

"That's right! Best around these parts!" Yoshiaki said confidently. _Is that so? Well then, can you translate what I'm saying now?_

"What is she saying?" Aso asked.

"She wants to see how well my translating is. She just asked if I could translate what she's saying." _Mhm, very nice._ She wanted to test him a little more just to make sure, so she put her left hand on her hip and asked him a question. _Tell me Yoshiaki, what did the rock say to the log?_

"'Make like a tree and _leaf!_ '" Yoshiaki replied with a little bit of laughter following afterwards. Miyuki smiled and gave him one more statement. _If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers…_

"Where's the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?" he responded instantaneously. _Yes! You are spot on! You are infinitely better than the first translator I met here._ "Really? How bad were they exactly?" he asked. _Bad enough to mistranslate me saying "I studied environmental sciences and chemistry" to "I studied accidental appliances and electricity."_ "Yeesh, that's pretty bad…" he replied, "I'm glad my skills are up to par with-"

"Ahem, pardon the interruption but, we're getting sidetracked here." Aso said.

"O-oh right, sorry! So, what do you need me to translate?"

"Miyuki, could you tell me again why you're here?" Yoshitaki watched carefully as Miyuki began to explain her reasoning. Aso asked, "What does that translate to?"

"She said, ' _I came here for my second job interview, remember?'_ " Yoshiaki said.

"What? I didn't schedule another interview with you. Where did you pull that out of?" Aso asked with a slight hint of irritation in his tone. The confidence she had built up for this moment during her morning ride was beginning to diminish once more. Miyuki stared at him for a moment with an expression of both genuine confusion and shock. _B-but Chairman Aso, you said it yourself on the phone! My brother told me that you were willing to give me another chance!_

"She said, ' _You said it yourself on the phone! My brother told me-"_

"Your brother? I remember him calling me regarding a second interview with you as well. But my answer to him was no different from the many times I've answered your emails: no!" Aso explained, "Now if you'll excuse me, if you don't have any other _real_ concerns, I have important matters to attend to today." Just like that, Chairman Aso proceeded up the flight of stairs past Miyuki without a second thought. "Please refrain from wasting my time like this again, Miyuki." he said before continuing down the path to his office. Miyuki proceeded to follow the chairman quickly behind and try to talk the matter out with him. Yoshiaki followed with her, translating to the chairman what she was saying.

" _Chairman Aso please! Why won't you give me another chance?_ "

"We've went over this numerous times before Miyuki. Please understand-"

" _What I've shown you, as my brother and others would say, should be more than enough proof that I am qualified to work on Operation: Blue Waters!"_

"That's what _OTHERS_ would say, Miyuki. Emphasis on _others._ I'm certain I've made my answer clear."

"' _But I've shown you everything I've done Chairman Aso! I've shown you my thesis on a new type of dissolvant that clears out toxic pollutants within the environment the most efficiently and most environmentally friendly! I've shown you my master degrees in environmental sciences, biochemistry, and even genetic engineering!'_ … holy moly, you are one smart lady, Miyuki!" Yoshiaki added quickly after. _O-oh, um… thank you?_

"And once again, I congratulate you for your impressive achievements and dedication. I wish you the best of luck out in the world of science. Now good day to you."

" _Then please Chairman Aso! Please give me another chance! I really really think I can do this-"_

"I do not have time for this Miyuki! I refuse to entertain this conversation for any longer." The heated discussion continued on throughout the second floor of the rounded building, until the three ended up reaching the receptionist area leading to his office. However, Miyuki followed Aso through the waiting area to the back where his office was. The receptionist attempted to stop Miyuki, but she continued to walk faster behind the chairman. Chairman Aso reached for the door to his office, pulling out his keys from his left pocket with his other hand. But Miyuki stepped to the side of him and quickly grabbed his hand, stopping him from opening his door. The chairman looked into Miyuki's eyes with a shocked gaze, while she looked back into his eyes with a serious expression. It was hard for Miyuki however to hide the nervousness cracking onto her face slowly. Sweat began to roll down the side of her face and the realization of what she had done smacked her right in the face. Lunging out to grab his hand was purely instinct on her part, and she had an aching feeling she may regret the outcome of her actions. Nevertheless, she took a quick gulp and said to him, " _Chairman Aso please. I'm only asking for one more chance. I-It's been my dream to be a part of this project ever since it started! I love this world more than anything, and if I know that something out there has the potential to save this world from a slow but certain death, then I wish to join the cause, no matter what."_ she explained. Although she expected the chairman to yell at her to get out of his sight, he simply looked deep into her eyes and saw the resolute dedication that burned within her. He let out a deep sigh and moved his hand away from his office door.

"Listen Miyuki, I know you have great potential and truly pure intentions. Hell, you're probably more qualified than anyone else on the team right now. But I can't let you in, I'm truly sorry." he said in a calmer tone.

" _But why? What is it about me that is making you stick to your answer so firmly?"_ she asked through Yoshiaki, files clenched tight against her chest, " _Is it because of what I think it is…?"_ Yoshiaki looked at both Miyuki and the chairman with concerned eyes and asked him, "S-she isn't sick with anything is she? Or did she wrong you in the past?"

"No no, nothing like that. She's simply-"

"Oh don't tell me… is she your secret love child that you haven't seen for years, and you don't wish to involve her in-"

"Shut your damn mouth you idiot! No she is not my secret love child!" he yelled. Miyuki looked at Yoshiaki with a very confused and embarrassed look, as if he had just confessed his love to her after they just met on the street. The receptionist stood speechless behind the three of them, unsure of how exactly to deal with the situation, if it was a good idea to be involved at all. The chairman quickly adjusted his glasses again after nearly tilting off his face and assured her that everything was fine. "D-don't worry about the three of us. It's just… a minor conflict we're having." The receptionist slowly nodded politely and walked back to her position. The chairman sighed once more and unlocked the door to his office. "Let's continue the discussion in here." he said opening the door for her, "You come in too, Yoshiaki." Miyuki and Yoshiaki stepped into his dim office only lit up by small slits of sunlight slipping through the crevices on the closed white curtains. The chairman walked to the opposite side of the room behind his desk and pulled open the shades to let the sunlight enter the long carpeted room. The room was instantly lit up from the sun's strong light, and the now uncovered window revealed the large cylindrical structure in the center of the circular complex, approximately 30 meters away from where they were all sitting. He took a seat onto his black leather rolling chair and held out his hand, signaling the two to take a seat at his desk. The two of them, at first nervous to take a seat in front of his desk, quickly pulled out a cushioned chair to sit in. The room remained silent for some time to allow the chairman to calm down more and recollect his thoughts on how to word this properly. For some reason, the chairman staying silent made her feel more anxious than if he were speaking angrily. All Miyuki and Yoshiaki did for the time being was silently look around the room, for they were both nervous to mutter a single word. Miyuki looked around the shelves of the bookshelves situated on each side of the room. She took notice to a few books about economics and history, as well as a small globe, a miniature representation of the japanese flag next to the G-Sector flag, and a family portrait of him, his wife, his two children presumably, and his brother Commander Takaki Aso. After what seemed like an eternity of awkward silence, the chairman got out of his chair and looked towards the open window, looking out into the distance at the center structure.

"I'd like to let you know Miyuki that after seeing all the dedication you've put into your work, all for the sake of this world, it truly is touching. I would honestly love to have you working at G-Sector, we need more dedicated people like you making the right innovations to change the world." Aso explained with a hint of grief, "It pains me to say this, but Miyuki... we just can't afford to have a mute individual on the workforce. G-Sector, especially the science branches, demand ample amounts of clear communication and interaction, and the workload provided by the departments can be extremely taxing. Having a mute individual, and I mean no offense when I say this, would hinder progress greatly, for both you and your co-workers. I'm sure that even you would agree you don't have the time and patience to write down every single statement you have to your co-workers. And I doubt the others would have the patience to read everything you say." Yoshiaki, heartbroken to hear such words from the chairman, was reluctant to look over to Miyuki, for he was afraid to see the potential heartbrokenness smothered all over her face. Eventually he decided to quickly peek over to her face. To say the least, the result was just as heart wrenching as he imagined it would be. Miyuki looked down at her files, now rested on her lap, with a forlorn expression. She was well aware of the hindrances her muteness caused even within her daily life. She has had trouble socializing and meeting new people because many can't quite understand her, and she worried that using translators all the time could be tiresome for them. She always felt embarrassed when dealing with customers during her day job when she was unable to provide sufficient assistance to them due to lack of communication. Whenever she has to travel to an unfamiliar location, ask people questions, or especially when she needed to do presentations in the past, she always had to use her phone as a translator; this caused Miyuki to have an over reliance on her cellular device that she wishes to ease herself out of nowadays. That was really one of the only functions she used her phone for other than games, since she couldn't make any phone calls. Despite these inconveniences, Miyuki was not going to give up her dream career just because she couldn't speak. At the same time though, she wasn't sure as to what she could do to convince the stubborn chairman. "I'm sorry Miyuki. I have nothing more to say to you. Have a good-" the chairman said before being interrupted by a knock at the door. Confused, he told whoever was at the door to enter. A middle aged man in a white lab coat walked into the office breathing rather heavily, as if he had just jogged a few laps around a track field.

"I'm sorry… for my sudden… entrance, Chairman Aso…" he said, "But I have something I would like to say…" Yoshiaki looked at the man in confusion, for he did not recognize him. Miyuki on the other hand turned to him with widened eyes of surprise, for she remembered him from her first visit, as well as from reading information about his project since the very start.

"Dr. Okada? What are you doing here?" Aso asked.

"I wanted to talk to you earlier about this, but you've had a lot on your plate for the past few days… you never even bothered to get back to me on the phone or respond to my emails!" Okada said, "Either way, it's a good thing I came by just in time."

"Cut to the chase Okada. Why are you here?"

"Chairman Aso, I'm here to advocate for this young woman, Miyuki, right here." he said pointing to her proudly. Chairman Aso sighed and took a seat back into his rolling chair holding his hands together on the desk.

"Is that so?" he asked.

"Yes, absolutely. Her brother, Atsushi Yamane, approached me last week and told me about his sister's great dedication and knowledge. She is more than worthy of being a part of G-Sector and this project chairman. In fact, it would be an absolute honor to have her work with us."

"I already talked about this with her Okada, I don't need you restating what I've-"

"Then let her in. We all do respect Chairman Aso, but you'd be a fool not to let her work for us." Chairman Aso looked at the doctor with a shocked expression after being ultimately mocked. Miyuki was of course happy and thankful that Dr. Okada came to her defense, but also felt slightly embarrassed that he was advocating for her so passionately.

"Dr. Okada she is a mute! How do you expect her to properly communicate with her co-workers?"

"I've discussed plans with her brother to develop new translator devices for her."

"And when exactly will those be finished?"

"Approximately two months or so."

"Dr. Okada, as head of the operation, you should know better than I do of the workload demanded each day. Without proper communication, she'll barely get any work done!"

"Chairman Aso please, this is but a minor inconvenience for such a brilliant mind!"

"Minor inconvenience my ass! Unless she gets one of those devices today, I'm afraid I can't let her in. We've already had far too many delays on the project to risk anymore hindrances." The conversation degraded to a hostile back and forth dispute. With the chairman's stubborn nature seeming unswayed by the doctor's opinions, Miyuki was becoming nervous and beginning to lose hope in her chances.

"I can accompany her!" Yoshiaki suggested out loud. Both the chairman and doctor were silenced as they heard Yoshiaki suddenly interject. Miyuki was caught off guard as well by the young man's sudden volunteering. "I can accompany her throughout the day and help translate for her. That way, people will know what she's trying to say all the time."

"But Yoshiaki, you've been specifically assigned to assist me when translation is needed!" Aso said.

"And how many times exactly have you needed me as of lately?" he asked. No response was given, much to Yoshiaki's surprise. "I'll still be doing what I've been hired to do sir. Plus, I'll be helping Miyuki get along with the rest of the team in Operation: Blue Waters. It's a win-win situation here!" he added, "So whaddya say Mr. Chairman sir? It's a once in a lifetime opportunity right here!" Chairman Aso realized that Yoshiaki, picking up on his usual joking personality, was being serious for once about standing by Miyuki's side. Now the chairman was being double teamed and had little options as to what he could do now. He got up from his chair and looked back out the window for about a minute to recollect his thoughts.

"You better do a good job, Yoshiaki." he said almost reluctantly, "Okada, make sure she gets introduced to the rest of the team today. I want her to get started as soon as possible." With that said, a sense of triumph and relief fell upon all three individuals. Miyuki had never felt this excited in a very long time. A tear or two was shed from her left eye that she tried to hide from Yoshiaki and Dr. Okada. After all the hard work from high school, all the research she'd done in college, and all the support that has kept her going from both family and friends alike, she finally managed to land her dream job. "Alright alright, I'm glad we're all happy here. Now if you all don't mind, I need the office to myself. I have important phone calls to make." Aso said before shooing them out of his office. He watched as the three of them headed toward the exit of the reception area before he locked the door to his office. A hefty box of cigars waited patiently for him next to his green desk lamp. He grazed his fingers lightly against the polished oak wood of the box before taking his leisurely time to open the cover up. Large cigar sticks were neatly lined up on a cushioned sack of artificial hay. "Miyuki Yamane… I hope you don't disappoint me." he whispered to himself. He reached down for a cigar stick and opened up the miniature compartment within his desk. Among all the random assortment of office supplies, a small box wrapped in a yellow ribbon laid in the middle with a tag attached. "When did this get here?" he asked. He picked up the tag first and read the small note written within it.

 _Enjoy the gift, brother. I got it custom made for you._

 _-Takaki_

Seeing that name written in black ink in such a distinct style caused many memories to flood into his head. No words were uttered from his mouth, but instead he stood staring at the tag for almost a minute. He turned his attention over to the small wrapped box and picked it up with his free hand. The box almost fit perfectly in his hand, and was of an elegant cranberry polish on smooth pine wood. Looking closer at the top of the box after the ribbon was removed, a small engraving in the center had his initials, _S.A._. Aso opened up the slightly stiff box to reveal a silver lighter cushioned by more artificial hay. Sunlight from the window behind him shined down brightly on the reflecting silver, prompting the chairman to squint his eyes a little and lift it away from the direct sunlight. He noticed his initials engraved into the silver on the side. His fingers felt another engraving on the opposite side of the lighter, flipping it over in curiosity. It was a very small, yet detailed illustration of a bipedal lizard-like creature with large spines going down its back and long tail, seemingly roaring upwards where the cover was atop. The style of the illustration was that of traditional Japanese ink art. Japanese characters were engraved to the side of the lizard that read, "Gojira." Aso let out a sigh and shook his head a little, opening the lighter and igniting the spark. It was just then that he noticed the illustration was cleverly positioned to make it seem as if the lizard was breathing fire when the lighter was ignited. He chuckled and a small smile arose. Aso proceeded to light up his large cigar stick and began puffing out large clouds of smoke while continuing to look out his window at the structure in the distance.

Meanwhile, as Miyuki, Yoshiaki, and Dr. Okada exited the office, she lunged at Yoshiaki to give him a hug to thank him for supporting her. A faint red blush appeared on his cheeks, and he hugged her back with a smile, happy to have helped her in a time of need. She went to hug Okada next, who was quite flustered yet joyous by the sudden embrace.

"Congratulations Miyuki. I'm glad to have you aboard." he said patting her on the back. She hugged her files and book tightly against her chest and began dancing around in joy. Some people who passed by were confused as to what she was doing, but she paid them no attention, for the surge of happiness in her head was far too great to have her stop celebrating now. Yoshiaki and Okada simply watched as she showed off all the joy she was experiencing. Moments later when Miyuki finally calmed down, she turned to the two men and began speaking in sign language.

"What is she saying?" Okada asked.

"Ah right! She's saying, ' _Do any of you want to get some ice cream with me? I remember last time there was an ice cream shop in the food court, and I'm craving sweets a tiny bit. Think of it as a celebration treat on the house!'_ There's ice cream around here?"

"Indeed there is. There's a whole assortment of foods over there, and from my personal experience, it's pretty good."

"Huh, I've just been eating out around Kamigyo! Heck yeah I want to get some ice cream!" he said eagerly.

"The offer does sound quite tempting. But perhaps before we do that, I should introduce you to the-" Just like that, Miyuki and Yoshiaki began speedwalking over to the food court. "Hey! Slow down you two, I still have to escort you to the team's workspace!" he yelled out to them following behind.

* * *

Along the pathway towards the center of G-Sector, Atsushi walked down the white brightly lit corridor accompanied by a fellow young scientist around his age, if not slightly younger. The two discussed an important matter while proceeding past numerous security cameras following their movements on the ceiling above them.

"Give me the details on the situation, Isao. What caused the accident this time?" Atsushi asked firmly.

"Nothing out of the ordinary I can assure you. Once again, another 'pulse' was detected, causing the systems to briefly malfunction and shutdown mid operation."

"Was there a leakage?"

"Yes, though thankfully it was small. The area is under quarantine currently. No one was affected by the leakage as well."

"For goodness sake Isao, we can't keep letting these sort of accidents happen." Atsushi said frustratedly, "This has been the third accident this month. The leakage two weeks back on Level 3 is still being quarantined and a total of five confirmed deaths were caused from that accident alone. Five! We're basically throwing away lives like they're nothing!" The two men reached a wide reinforced blast door. A security guard saw the men through a viewing window to their left and activated another infrared scanner on the ceiling. Red gridded lasers thoroughly scanned the entirety of each of their bodies and emitted a jingle to confirm their identities. The guard promptly opened up the blast door for them to proceed further. Behind the large doors was a rather lengthy quarantine room. The room was padded with blue tarp-like material and multiple shower heads were implanted to the top sides of the walls facing towards the center. Another viewing window within the quarantine room was built into the left wall connecting to the same viewing area; the second viewing window was but a long slim pane stretching across the left wall, and appeared to be made of much thicker ballistic glass. Sirens went off behind them and the blast door slowly closed shut. Moments later, a mist-like substance sprayed out of the shower heads and completely covered the two men standing in the center of the room. Mist continually streamed into the room for around 30 seconds until the shower heads were finally powered down. The second blast door in front of them opened momentarily, allowing the two to proceed further inside.

One short corridor led the two men to a large single level, wrapping around the center structure of G-Sector directly underground; the underground level is give or take 100 meters below the surface. The entirety of the floor had the coloration of white, greys, and blues, with each room either covered in glass for clear viewing from the outside or was concealed behind the confines of white walls with only a door to peer through. Advanced machinery, assortments of chemicals, and ample stacks of research papers and files next to computers filled each aseptic space. Various researchers were focused on numerous tasks of their own, while some were busy interacting with their co-workers for second opinions or possible collaborative efforts. However, the two men paid their surroundings little attention, for they needed to assess the larger problem at hand. They both continued down the long room to their left to meet the elevator coming up on their right near a break room.

"I understand that you're concerned Atsushi, but we've tried numerous times before to solve this problem. The fact that these pulses happen so sporadically and randomly makes it far more difficult to understand and prevent these occurrences." Isao explained, "Until we understand the entirety of the situation, we'll be unable to do much when they happen."

"Do we at least have any leads on what may be causing them?"

"Well… no. At least, nothing you haven't heard yet. We still theorize the pulses are caused by the remaining energy within the heart, but are still unsure as to _how_ it's doing that exactly. The way I see it, we're far from understanding the full nature of the situation." Atsushi sighed and reached for the elevator panel, pushing the button to go up. Silence fell between the two men while the elevator was called down. The sounds of chatter among the other co-workers within the surrounding area and multiple machines operating filled their ears as they both glanced at each other for brief intervals before staring blankly into the metallic elevator door. Although Atsushi tried his best to keep himself composed, he admits to himself that he is quite worried about the rising prevalence of these so called "pulses," and is bothered by the lives that have been lost due to such incidents. The fact that no individuals were harmed within this morning's incident relieved him greatly though. All he can hope for now is for the research team to hopefully find out what is causing all these accidents and quickly resolve the issues for good. _If only father were here right now..._ The elevator's intercom announced, " _Now on the: Basement Level 6."_ Isao signaled Atsushi to enter the elevator first once the door slid open. He gestured a "thank you" to him and entered in, pushing the button for the sixth floor. Isao followed behind him and stood next to him once the elevator began to rise. " _Please step back from the elevator door to ensure your safety."_ the intercom announced. The speed of the elevator quickened until it reached its peak speed of 25 mph, making it the fastest known elevator in the world; the speed was necessary in order to scale the entirety of the underground in a reasonable time. The walls within the elevator were made of glass, allowing people inside to view the facility within. The two men turned to face the ballistic glass window behind them.

A second cylindrical structure was built in the center of the massive underground facility. Multiple giant flood lights brightened up the entire facility, most of which were shining up directly at the center structure. The structure was powered by large generators on the bottom, conducting large quantities of blue glowing plasma energy. Workers were scattered around the bottom of the facility managed forklifts to transport crates and utilized transport robots, such as Japan Enterprise Tech's latest prototype creation, the J73-JAGUAR, a specialized mechanical suit able to lift approximately 12x its own weight. From the height Atsushi and Isao were at currently, all the men on the ground appeared like miniature models. Five levels of metallic walkways suspended in the air by intertwined steel rods connected to the walls lined the facility. Construction workers could be seen moving around said walkways around the structure. Each walkway led towards the center to a built-in mechanical system. Some workers utilized man-sized mechanical suits named the K67-KAMAKIRI, which used four long mechanical legs around the waistline to magnetically scale the structure and mantis-like appendages with built-in blow torches to repair any damages done to the structure. Seeing this sort of environment, no matter how often Atsushi got to witness it, still felt so surreal. It served as a reminder for the amount of progress Japan was able to make over time.

The elevator nearly reached the surface, causing a rough transition to complete darkness outside the windows. This harsh transition broke Atsushi's train of thought. He looked over at Isao, who was looking down at his silver wristwatch. He turned back to face the window just before Isao faced him briefly. Throughout the entirety of the elevator ride, Isao noticed that Atsushi had been checking his phone constantly for brief moments. In fact, he saw in the corner of his eye that Atsushi checked his phone once more. He could just be checking the time, but seeing him check his phone so frequently was quite unusual, even for him; he's aware of his dislike towards being late to anything. This seemed more like he was waiting for someone to message him. Either way, Isao found this unusual behavior intriguing. The window filled with darkness in front of them soon changed to a setting similar to what they had just witnessed moments before. The elevator was scaling the entirety of the structure within the center of G-Sector seen outside. No structure in the middle was present within, and instead a giant circular mechanical hatch around the same width, if not slightly bigger than the structure below, was built into the ground. The overall structure and appearance of this surface level interior was no different than the one below, except everything looked much more refined and well built. Viewing windows circled the entirety of each floor, which allowed individuals to peer out into the middle no matter which level they were on. Within no time at all, the two men reached the top floor of the structure. " _Now on the: Sixth Level."_ the intercom announced. Atsushi gestured for Isao to exit the elevator first. He nodded and stepped out of the elevator, Atsushi following behind.

The control center of the structure was situated on the sixth floor. Stepping out of the elevator, they are immediately greeted by G-Sector's logo decalled on the white painted walls and lit up by small spot lights below. The sixth level was similar in structure to Basement Level Six, as well as every other level in this area, but was far smaller than previous levels. Only the control room and a few other computer rooms were located on this floor. The two men walked to their right down the wrapping corridor towards the control center at the very end.

"Are you worried about someone, Atsushi?" he asked facing him. Atsushi's facial expression remained straight and stern.

"What gives you that intuition?" he asked.

"I took notice to you constantly looking at your phone. It looked as if you were anticipating a message from someone." Atsushi began to slow down slightly, until he came to a full stop in front of the doors to the control room. "So tell me, who is it that you're waiting for, Atsushi?"

"It's… my younger sister, Miyuki. I brought her here to G-Sector for an… 'interview' with the chairman."

"Erm… what exactly does 'interview' mean within this context?"

"I uh… I lied to her about it."

"Pardon me? You lied to your sister about having an interview with Chairman Satoshi Aso?" he asked with wide open eyes in shock, "Care to explain why? You know how the chairman's temperament can be."

"I know I know. Listen… I know you've never met Miyuki in person but, I can assure you that she is the smartest and most selfless woman you'll ever meet." Atsushi explained, "Unlike other environmentalists who secretly do what they do for popularity or money, Miyuki wishes to help the world purely from the goodness of her heart. She loves nature, and everything that lives within it. If there is something she sees may have a chance of saving nature from disasters like global warming, destruction of natural habitats, and most importantly to her pollution of all kinds, then she is willing to do anything to be a part of it. That's why when she saw the announcement for Operation: Blue Waters, she made it her number one goal to be a part of that team and contribute her work to the operation."

"I see. Sounds rather bothersome from an employer's point of view if you ask me. I wouldn't want a super clingy employee to be a part of my workforce, no siree-" Isao remarked jokingly, which earned him a serious gaze dead in the eyes from Atsushi, "Aha, I'm only joking of course... So then, why did you have to lie to the chairman? She sounds like an excellent candidate for the project, and someone he would most definitely hire."

"She went in for an actual interview with him about a month or so ago. The chairman thought she had a fantastic resume. However, he denied her the job."

"What? How come?"

"Well… she's mute."

"O-oh… I understand."

"Mhm. She wasn't always mute though."

"Is that so? What happened to her? If you don't mind me asking of course." Atsushi looked hesitant to tell him at first, but he eventually loosened up and took a deep breath in and out.

"Back then, she used talk quite a lot actually. It wasn't the annoying kind of talk though. I remembered people saying that she 'spoke like an angel.' She was always very polite and encouraging, while also loving to talk about really corny puns with her friends and loved to discuss riddles with others." he explained in a soft tone, "She was also very outspoken when she needed to be, always arriving to the defense of her friends or loved ones when someone bullied them or something. That sometimes resulted in her getting a beating or two, but she didn't care. As long as those she loves are safe, then that was more than enough to make her happy." Atsushi found himself rambling on about how much of an angel his sister was and still continued to be when he meant to explain what exactly happened to her. Isao didn't quite mind though, for he felt his heart warm up and a smile form on his face from hearing how much of a pleasant person his sister is. "Although… when she was 14, she experienced quite a… traumatic experience." he explained, clenching one of his fists slightly tight, "She never spoke again since then."

"I'm very sorry." Isao said in a sympathetic tone.

"It's okay… she may not have her voice anymore, but at least she's still the same smart and caring Miyuki I cared for ever since she was a baby." he said with a small smile, "But, due to her muteness, she was unable to get the job, claiming that the science divisions require 'too much communication' for her."

"Well, that statement has _some_ truth to it. Both of us should know the best, seeing how we're heads of the Mechanical Engineering and Biological Science divisions respectively."

"Indeed… b-but that is why I began making her a special translator!"

"How is the progress on that?"

"W-well… it had to be put on hiatus due to the progress needed on the new Mecha Revival project."

"I see. So back to the original question then… why did you lie to her?"

"I-it's not like I _wanted_ to lie to her okay? It's just that every day since her initial rejection into G-Sector, she has been far less confident in herself and began losing interest in finding other occupations. I'd even go as far to say that I think she was becoming borderline depressed, all because the chairman couldn't let a mute person be a part of the team." he explained, "Every day since then as well, she has been non stop bombarding the chairman with emails and letters about giving her a second chance and such. She even asked me to call the chairman for her at some points. All of which were met with a solid no."

"The chairman can be quite stubborn once he's made a decision."

"That's why I decided to lie to Miyuki and tell her that she got a second chance at an interview today. I didn't want her to lose all confidence on herself just because of one interview. You should've seen the look on her face at the time, she was so happy. It really did make me feel bad that I was lying to her." he explained, "Afterwards, I made sure to find Dr. Okada and tell him in detail about Miyuki, even giving him the idea that he should tell the chairman himself his thoughts on Miyuki. Maybe then, it would help change his decision before Miyuki even gets to be 'interviewed.'"

"Clever plan, dear friend. And I assume you were worried if the plan worked or not?"

"Yeah… if the plan didn't work, then I would have received an angry text from her asking why I lied to her and such."

"Well judging from the fact that she didn't message you yet, she could either be far too heartbroken to message you, or the plan was indeed a success."

"... why did you have to give me that thought in mind?" he said nervously. Isao chuckled a little, and patted his back, "N-no I'm serious though, why-"

"Well dear friend, thank you for the talk. I feel like I've learned quite a lot today about your sister. She sounds like quite the pleasant woman."

"She's not interested right now, so don't even think about it," he commented. Isao laughed at the sudden comment.

"Oh Atsushi, you're hilarious." he said, "Now, we shouldn't waste anymore time. Let's get in now and see what's the situation." _Oh well Isao, no being slick today._ Atsushi nodded and the two proceeded through the sliding metal doors.

A large number of operators, researchers, and scientists filled the entirety of the control room. There were numerous scientists bouncing back and forth around different stations along with fellow researchers moving around papers and talking amongst each other. Operators were sat on their chairs in front of the illuminated screens of their computers. A large viewing window showed the interior of the structure. Multiple large monitors were implanted into the wall just above the viewing glass. Atsushi and Isao began looking amongst the large crowd of people to see if the man they were looking for was here. Unfortunately, it appeared that who they were looking for was not there at the moment. Atsushi did take notice to the research team supposedly looking into the causes of the "pulses." He quickly squeezed through the crowded control room towards the viewing glass where three of the members were conversing and having coffee together. The three researchers quickly noticed Atsushi in the distance and pretended to seem as if they were intently analyzing the papers on the desk next to them.

"Coffee and talking with friends should only be allowed in the break room at 12:30 PM." he said, taking away one of the mugs from the researchers.

"U-um, doctor it is 12:30-"

"Are we in the break room though? No we're not, case closed. By the way, have any of you seen Dr. Serizawa anywhere around here?" All three of them looked at each other and shook their heads at him. He said in frustration, "Dammit… okay okay, that's fine. Any news on the leakage?"

"Yes doctor, the quarantine on level 5 is said to be almost finished, and the level should be free from any stray cells."

"Good., that's _some_ good news at least." he said wiping some sweat off his forehead, "Now... tell me you all have made some sort of progress into the investigation?" The three of them looked at each other nervously, one scratching the back of their head and another looking down at his papers trying to find something to read to him. Atsushi sighed and covered his face with the entirety of his right palm. Isao approached from behind to accompany him, looking at the three researchers in dismay.

"Sir, all we could really find was that the source of the pulses were emanating from within the heart of the subject-"

" _I know that._ Tell me something I _HAVEN'T_ heard yet please!"

"W-we theorize that perhaps some sort of outside factor is contributing to the residual energy continually building up, but we're still unsure as to what exactly that factor is."

"Impossible. That's impossible!" Atsushi yelled out, "After all that we've harvested, all of its energy should have diminished years ago! It shouldn't be alive!"

"Atsushi, please calm down-" As Isao reached over to Atsushi, he immediately smacked his hand away, much to Isao's surprise, and walked over to one of the computers being managed.

"You there. I need you to do me a favor." he said, "Activate the energy fields."

"Excuse me? But doctor, it may be in an unstable state right now, the accident wasn't too long ago-"

"Activate. The. Energy fields." he demanded. The operator reluctantly obliged and notified the neighboring operators to start powering up the energy fields.

"Atsushi, what the hell are you doing?" Isao asked in a concerned manner.

"What do you think I'm doing? I'm bringing him up for an internal scan. We need to get to the bottom of this immediately. I'm done waiting around."

"Atsushi, the scanners' energy levels are not high enough to fully examine the entirety of the body! If we go any higher than 80 keV, we're running the risk of exposing it to high levels of gamma rays! You _do_ know what the means, right?!"

"What would your father say right now, Isao? Huh?" he asked in a hostile manner, "'You must learn to take risks in your life. Only then will fruitful discoveries be made.'" Isao stood frozen in front of Atsushi, unable to respond back to his statement. Without any further delay, Atsushi ordered the operators to charge the field.

The lights in the room began dimming, silencing the entire room and prompting everyone to look into the viewing glass. Blue sparks emitted from large energy conductors built into the roof of the center, slowly charging a super energized plasma field. Atsushi watched the sparks began to form the field up and center; Isao hesitantly watched from a few feet behind him. Once the energy field was ready to be activated, Atsushi gave the call, "Activate plasma field… now-"

"Wowie! I've never been to this part before!" said a voice from way in the back of the room, "What's going on here? Some fancy demonstration or something?" Confused, Atsushi turned around to see a young man walking through the doors. The rest of the researchers in the room looked at him in confusion as well. Shortly after the sudden interjection, Dr. Okada followed behind and looked into the crowd of people.

"Apologies to all! Don't worry, this young man is with me! I'm merely giving a tour of the area to help with their familiarity!" he said, reassuring the crowd.

"Dr. Okada?" Miyuki followed behind both Dr. Okada and Yoshiaki, gazing into the now blue lit room from the charging energy field. She took notice to Atsushi at the very front of the room, and began making her way through the crowd with an angry pouty face. Atsushi saw his younger sister closing in on him, and he began stumbling on what words he wanted to say to her. "O-oh Miyuki! W-what are you doing here so soon? H-h-how did the uhhh, interview go-?" His face was greeted by a slightly hard slap from an otherwise gentle hand.

"Damn girl!" Yoshiaki yelled out to her. Miyuki crossed her arms and continued to look into his eyes with her angry pouty face, expecting an apology. Isao watched in the distance how she outright slapped her brother and was quite astounded. _Wow… she may look pretty and all, but she's got a real fiery spirit._

"O-ow… I guess I deserve that…" he muttered, gently rubbing the slap mark, "Miyuki, I understand how you feel about the whole me lying to you thing, and I'm really sorry about that, but right now we're in the middle of an important operation! You really can't be here right now!" In response, Miyuki began speaking through her sign language in an angry and hasty fashion.

" _I can't believe you lied to me about the interview Atsushi! You almost got my hopes up just to be completely shot down by the chairman! The chairman of all people! Do you have any idea how completely embarrassed I would have been?!"_

"I-I know I know I'm so so sorry Miyuki, honestly! I felt bad about it too!"

" _You're so lucky that Dr. Okada and Yoshiaki came through for me at the end! Otherwise, I would've left G-Sector feeling even more down in the slums than ever before!"_

"Miyuki please, let's talk about this later! I forbid you from being in this area!"

" _I'm not leaving here without you Atsushi! You owe me some mint chocolate chip ice cream when we get back you jerk!"_

"Okay okay fine, it's a deal! Now please Miyuki, leave before-!" A blinding flash of blue energy illuminated the entire interior of the structure. Everyone within the control center forgot to equip their protective shades, and became disoriented due to being far too distracted by the drama going on at the front. Once everyone's eyes began readjusting to the brightness, a large blue plasma barrier encapsulated the center of the interior like some sort of personal force field. Miyuki was confused and asked Atsushi what exactly was going on. Loud deep noises sounding as if some large mechanism were being activated beneath them began flood the room. The floor began to shake, and the loud metallic sounds similar to a large stiff hatch opening up became even more prominent. The combination of the bright shining sporadic light and the cacophony of metallic frequencies became bothering to Miyuki instantly, and she hugged Atsushi's arm in slight panic. Atsushi began trying to move her towards the entrance all the way in the back.

However, Miyuki's attention was directed towards the field when she believed that she saw something behind the barrier slowly rising to the same level as the viewing window. Alas, curiosity got the best of her and she stood firmly in place, unwilling to move even when Atsushi was pushing her back. It was still hard to see what exactly was behind the barrier, but whatever it was raised a familiar sense of fear that she felt just this morning. After around two minutes after whatever was behind the plasma barrier completely rose to the same level, the energy field slowly began to diminish, until the last spark of plasma disappeared into thin air. The room was completely filled with darkness, save for the glow of the monitors. The last spark of plasma, once diminished into multiple blue particles, briefly lit up a small portion of whatever stood behind the barrier. The particles briefly lit up what appeared to be large bumpy scales of sorts. Miyuki's legs for a split second became weaker, causing her to trip down the small flight of stairs leading to the entrance down the middle of the room. Panic filled every corner of her mind and her heart's pace quickened to an uncomfortable rate. It couldn't be what she thought it was. What she saw couldn't possibly have been real. It's impossible. How could it be?

The floodlights within the interior had been temporarily disabled while the plasma field was being activated, but soon reactivated one by one. Slowly, the figure staring straight into the control room became clear as daylight. Miyuki found herself caught in a horrific prolonged eye lock with what monstrosity stood before her. Before she knew it, the screams and explosions began filling her mind once more, cancelling out all the sounds around her. When she thought she heard her brother or Yoshiaki calling her name, it was replaced with dreadful faint roars that sounded oh so familiar to her. Except the roars were not so faint anymore, but slowly became louder and clearer than ever, until it almost sounded as if the roar originated right in front of her. She attempted to lift her arms to cover her ears from the atrocious bellow that made her feel as if her ears were bleeding profusely. But she couldn't even lift a finger. All of her strength had been drained completely from her body, unable to move anything in her body at all and completely going numb at the sight of the gigantic, reptilian head staring directly at her. Fire and ashes had surrounded the scaly face before her, recreating an extremely evil and gruesome environment. Eventually, her body and mind could not handle the intense fear she was experiencing, and ended up fainting onto the floor, dropping her blue leather purse to the side. Atsushi, Yoshiaki, and Dr. Okada quickly surrounded Miyuki, attempting to wake her up from her unconscious state.

"Miyuki? Miyuki can you hear me?" he called out, shaking her shoulders a little and holding her in his arms, "Miyuki? Miyuki!" The rest of the men in the room surrounded Miyuki and the others, concerned and confused at what exactly just happened. Isao tended to her belongings that had fallen to the side out of her purse. One such belonging caught his attention the most. It was an old history book written by Shinkichi Yamane titled, "Godzilla."

* * *

 **A/N**

 **Here is the first actual chapter to GODZILLA City! I uploaded this a month earlier due to the fact that I was nearly complete with it already, so I thought I'd might as well finish it off this month. I put some more thought into my posting schedule, and reconsidered to probably uploading every other month or so. This is mainly due to my tight schedule right now demanding lots of my attention. But have no fear, for I will still find time to dedicate to this story, mark my words! Anyway, I do hope you enjoy this first chapter!**


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